saries for the whole of our houses and fortresses, upon all which the necessary outlay has been incalculable. Unless we shall receive some money from our houses beyond sea, we shall be unable to obtain it elsewhere ; and it is now a long time since we have received anything whatever for the support of our expenditure. Know also, that we have incurred a great number of debts ; and, awaiting your help and that of our other good brethren, we do, by the love of God and our own, entreat you, so far as you can, by the first ship that makes her passage in the month of March, to send us some assistance. Farewell." On hearing of this, our lord the pope Innocent sent a cardinal to the king of France and to the king of England, requesting that assistance might be given by their territories towards the relief of the land of Jerusalem; and accordingly, at his command the said kings agreed to give towards the relief of the land before-mentioned the fortieth part of all their revenues for one year. This the king of England ordered to be given from his rents, his escheats, and his wardages in England ; and he ordered that all the laymen of his territories should, in like manner, give the fortieth part of their revenues, as an alms-gift for the succour of the land of Jerusalem. Upon this occasion, Geoffrey Fitz-Peter, at this time chief justice of England, wrote to the sheriffs and bailiffs of England to the following effect :— The Letter of Geoffrey Fitz-Peter as to the collection of the fortieth part of revenues for the succour of the Holy Land. " Geoffrey Fitz-Peter, earl of Essex, to all the sheriffs in his jurisdiction, greeting. Know ye, that our Lord the king of England, at the instance and at the preaching of a certain cardinal sent into France by the Supreme Pontiff, has, from the parts beyond sea,4 by the advice of his nobles, granted, for the succour of Holy Jerusalem, the fortieth part of the value of all his revenues and lands for one year, including those accruing from wards and escheats in his hands. The same also has been voluntarily contributed by his nobles themselves beyond sea. At their instance also, our lord the king of England has, by his letters patent, written to all the nobles of England, begging and entreating that they will, with pure heart, and from motives of Christian love, make a like grant from the value of all their revenues and lands for the space of one year ; which, however, is neither conceded nor 4 In relation to France and Normandy. VOL. II. Ν W